1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer apparatus, and more particularly relates to keyboard structures for portable computers such as notebook computers.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years the notebook computer has made considerable gains in both popularity and technical sophistication. One factor contributing to the increasing popularity of the notebook computer is its ever decreasing size and weight, a factor arising from the ability to fabricate various components of the computer in smaller and smaller sizes while, in many cases, increasing the power and/or operating speed of such components.
A continuing challenge in the design of notebook computers, from a size reduction standpoint, is the keyboard structure. This design challenge arises from two conflicting design goals--the desire to even further reduce the size of the keyboard structure, and the desirability of having the note computer keyboard emulate as closely as possible the size and typing "feel" of a desktop computer keyboard.
Heretofore, compared to desktop computer keyboards, attempts to reduce the horizontal footprint size of notebook computer keyboards have entailed one or more of the following size reduction techniques--(1) a reduction in the total number of keys, (2) a reduction in the size of the individual key cap members, and/or (3) a reduction in the centerline-to-centerline distance between the individual key cap members. As is well known, each of these size reduction techniques has a practical limit which, if exceeded, substantially degrades the ability of a notebook computer user to use a "touch typing" technique--i.e., typing on the keyboard without the necessity of continuously looking at its keys.
Because in most, if not all, conventional notebook computer keyboards the limits of these three size reduction techniques have essentially been reached, the lengths and widths of such conventional keyboards tend to cluster around about 10 inches and 4 inches, respectively. This minimum horizontal length of conventional notebook computer keyboards (i.e., their horizontal lengths in a left-to-right direction as viewed by a user of the computer) serves to correspondingly establish the minimum left-to-right length of the housing portion of the notebook computer. Accordingly, most conventionally configured notebook computers have housing lengths that cluster about the 10 to 11 inch range.
In addition to these minimum horizontal or "footprint" size constraints commonly associated with notebook computer keyboards of conventional construction there have also been minimum vertical or "thickness" restraints associated with the design of notebook computer keyboards. For example, in an attempt to reduce the thickness of notebook computer keyboards one possibility which has been investigated is to simply reduce the keystroke distance of the keyboard compared to its desktop counterpart. Using this design technique, the overall thickness of the notebook computer in its closed storage and transport orientation may be correspondingly reduced. However, this thickness reduction in the overall notebook computer, achieved by reducing the keyboard keystroke distance, creates what many users consider to be an undesirable typing "feel" difference compared to the longer keystroke distance typically found in a larger desktop computer keyboard.
The results of these horizontal and vertical minimum dimensional limitations commonly adhered to in conventionally constructed notebook computer keyboards are that (1) the horizontal length of the computer housing must be at least slightly larger than the maximum horizontal length of the keyboard structure, and (2) the dedicated keyboard volume within the horizontal computer housing footprint must be equal to the maximum horizontal footprint area of the keyboard times its maximum vertical thickness.
In view of the continuing design effort to even further reduce the size of notebook and other portable computers, it can readily be seen from the foregoing that it would be highly desirable to provide a notebook computer having an improved keyboard structure which, compared to conventional notebook computers, permits the computer housing size, and the dedicated keyboard space within the housing, to be substantially reduced without correspondingly degrading keyboard typing performance. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a notebook computer having these dual size reductions.